Electric switch



M y 1938. o. ALDINGER ,1

ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Nov. 6, 1956 Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES.

ELECTRIC swrrcn' Otto Aldinger, Stuttgart, Germany Application November6, 1936, Serial No. 109,565 In Germany November 5, 1935 4 Claims..

This invention relates to an electric switching device for two circuitsmounted in the handle of a consuming apparatus, both of which circuitsare successively switched on, or only one of them 5 is switched on,whilst both are switched off simultaneously.

The switching device consists of two toggle switches inserted in the twocircuits and mounted in the handle one behind the other in thelongitudinal direction of the handle, two press buttons movable againstone another and acting directly on the toggle switches being arrangedbetween the latter, transversely to the handle, one of the press buttonsbeing adapted to switch on only one toggle switch or both toggleswitches one after the other, whilst the other is adapted to switch oilthe two toggle switches simultaneously, a spring being mounted betweenthe two press buttons which returns the latter automatically into theirinitial position.

The consuming apparatus which especially come into question are hot airdouches which are desired to operate not only with hot air but also withcold air instead. In the first case, only the one toggle switch isswitched on which lies in the motor circuit. In the second case, by theadditional switching on of the second toggle switch, also the toggleswitch lying in the heating circuit is switched on. By successivelyswitch ing on, first the motor or cold air switch, and then the heatingor hot air switch, the hot air current is prevented from beinginadvertently switched on and thereby the heating resistance preventedfrom being overheated. The simultaneous switching off of both circuitshas the same efiect and such switching action is quick and positive. Thesuccessive switching on of the circuits may be eflected in various ways.

The invention provides a very simple and compact construction ofswitching device which can be mounted in a handle of the usualdimensions of a consuming apparatus. The switching on and oil" of thecircuits can be efiected conveniently by usin'gone hand only, viz., theone holding the apparatus, the other. hand being free for othermanipulations.

Further the construction according to the invention is such that the twotoggle switches can be easily and conveniently mounted and secured inposition in the handle of the consuming apparatus.

The accompanying drawing illustrates, by way of example, a handle for ahot air douche provided with an improved switching arrangement.

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of the (Cl. 200157) I improveddevice with the press buttons and toggle switches in the startingposition;

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the circuit closing position of theupper toggle switch (cold air) operation; 5

Figure 3 illustrates a modification oi the improved device.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the handle, which is preferably made of acompressed electric insulating fibrous material, is dividedlongitudinally 10 into two halves a, b and is made hollow. When used thetwo halves are held together, partly by a tubular clamp z, whichconnects the inner end of the handle to the actual apparatus, and partlyby a screw 0. Two oppositely moving press but- 15 tons d and e arearranged transversely to the handle,one of them serving as aswitching-on button and the other one as a switching-off button.Usually, the two press buttons are kept apart by a spring f insertedbetween them, being caused 20 to abut against the inner wall of the twohalves of the handle. The switching-off button c has a smooth innersurface 9', whilst the switching-on button d is provided with a steppedinner surface having two switching steps h and i, the latter 25 lyingfurther behind the outer end of the press button ascompared with theformer. Two toggle switches are arranged laterally with respect to thetwo press buttons, one behind the other in the'longitudinal directioninside a hollow space 30 providedin the handle. The toggle switchadjacent to the small switching step h of the switching-in button servesfor the connecting up of the motor circuit, and the switch adjacent tothe larger step i of the switching-on button serves 35 for theswitching-on of the heating current, the two steps hand i of theswitching-on button being made of diiferent heights. When they arepressed down the two switches are actuated one after the other, firstthe motor switch and then 40 the heating current switch. Vice versa,when the switching-oil button 6, which is not stepped, is

pressed down, the two switches are simultaneously operated for theopening of the circuits.

Each switch has a support which consists of 45 two upright parts n (inFigure 1 they lie one behind the other) and two strongly acting footplates 0', 0. The latter are inserted (by friction or clamping) incorresponding slots provided in v the two handle halvesin the half I) soas to be 50 firmly seated, and in the other half so as to be lightlyseatedwhereby the two switches can be secured in the handle in a verysimple way. The two-arm lever q, r is mounted in pivot holes p of thetwo uprights n, the end of the arm q 66 the rouge of operation of the hor i of the switching-oh button. A rod .9 is on to the cud oi? the otherarm 1'', which rod posse through on opening oi the soddle t of thetoggle switch or switch stirrup is. A compressed spidhg it mountedhetween the saddle t and the head it oi the rod s. Tue stirrup is, whichpivotally mounted in the holes so of the uprights it, closes the circuitwhen in the tilted out position (see Figure 2), by forming s hridgebetween the c We rout cmrylug coutact springs a: secured to the half hof the handle. The tilting move ment oi the stirrup is limited by theabutment suriaces g of the handle halves. Although in the position inwhich the circuit is closed current passes through the parts 11., o, 0or the two switches, the latter parts are insulated in the handle. Thecclole carrying the current passes through the opening m in the handle.

I llii'hen the switcldngmn button it is pressed down the spring iscompressed, and its step it, by shutting against the end of the srm u oithe toggle switch adjacent to it (the upper onel, switches on the motorcircudt and then, by step 2' acting on the end of the arm q of the lowerswitch, it switches on the heating current. The spriug j automaticallyreturns the hutton 03 into its original position. When it is desired tostop the operation of the sppcratus the switching-oif huttou e ispressed down end its inner smooth surface g, whilst compressing thespring acts simultaneously on the ends of the arms q of Tooth switches,thereby switching-oil simultcneously the two circuits, whereupon it isreturned automatically to its original position by the spring 1 When isdesired to worl; with cold air, the switching-on hutton is pressed down,only to such on extent until the upper switch is operated, which, apartfrom the noise of the pact or the switching stirrup, is also perceivedloy the hood, owing to the chsnged resistance of the press button.

The mounting oi the toggle switches in the handle is effected in soespecially simple manner, without any separate fixing screws or thelike, so that the two switches with one of their sup= porting plates 0are inserted in the corresponding slits provided in the part b of thehandle, in which the electrical connections have elresdy heeu eilected,and then the other hell of the handle is slid on to the support parts 0'which are still tree and is secured to the first halt l) of the handle.

The modification illustrated in Figure 3 olifiers from the one shown inFigures i and 2 in that the press button d for the switching-on is notstepped, whilst the press button e for the switchlug-off is stepped, andthe lower toggle switch which, as in the case of the form ofconstruction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, serves to i switch on theheating current is mounted less deep in the halt h of the huddle ascompared with the upper toggle switch, so that in its initial position,viz. when the lower switch is discouuected, the arm oi oi the latterswitchlies at a greater distance from the press button 02 than the q ofthe upper toggle switch. Also in this way it is-possilole to obtain thatby means of due press button d the upper toggle switch is firstactuated, that to the motor circuit or the cold is switched on, theheating current or the hot air is switched on and that otter sppcretushes teen used the two circuits are simultaneously switched oii hy meansof the switching-off press button e. in order to ensure that the furthermovement of the button it, alter the operation of the upper toggleswitch, shall not he hindered by the srm e of I ,is switch, group 2 isprovided in the press huttou d, by moons of which the press huttooslides past the arm o of the upper switch while ectuates the lowerswitch.

whet claim is:-

l. he. electric switching device mounted in the handle oi on electricconsuming for two electric circuits, comprising two toggle switchesinserted in the said two circuits and mounted in the handle, one behindthe other, in the lougitudinsl direction of the handle, Tooth toggleswitches having a statiouei v switched-oil position and a stationeryswitched-0n position different from the switched-oh position, atswitchlugou press button and a switching-oil press button capable ofmoving against one another and lying hetwmu the toggle switchestrunsversel to the handle, the said two toggle switches having armsprojecting into a free space between the said two press buttons withtheir respective tree ends st different distances from the ports of theswitching-on press button intended to act thereon when the toggleswitches are in the switched-oi position, and at the some distance fromthe parts of the switchin -oil press button intended to set thereon whenthe toggle switches are in the switched-0n position, whereby theswitching-on press button will act successiveh on the two toggleswitches and the switching-oft press button will act thereonsimultaneously and a spring between the said two press buttons forreturning the latter automatically into their initial position.

2. An electric switching device as claimed in claim 1, in which theswitchingwn press button has two switching steps providing the difierentdistances thereof irom the free ends of the proiecting arms of thetoggle switches.

3. An electric switching device so claimed in cloim 2, and in which theswitclung ou press button has a groove so disposed as to allow the saidswitching-on press button to slide past the arm oi one of the toggleswitches already switched-on while it actual-es the other toggle switch.

d. An electric switching device as claimed in claim 3, furthercomprising 2, transverse support lug plate on each one oi the two toggleswitches,

the handle being divided longitudinally into two halves in which the twopress buttons are respectively mounted opposite one another, and eachone of the said handle halves having two transverse slits on oppositesides of the press button mounted therein, and the two transversesupporting plates lying firmly in the transverse slits formed in the onehalf and lightly in the trans-' verse slits formed in the other half ofthe handle.

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